


Is This A Date?

by amethystdragonnight



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, cute earth dates because why not, shallura - Freeform, the cuties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-06-01 01:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15132416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amethystdragonnight/pseuds/amethystdragonnight
Summary: The team is back on Earth after long months in space. Shiro takes Allura to see Earth's finest features, from ice cream to movies. Are these dates? Well, you'd have to ask them.





	1. Popping the Question

Shiro cleared his throat as Lance, Keith, Hunk and Pidge walked in the room at the Garrison. It had only been a few days since they’d been on Earth, but they’d stayed here the entire time. For now there was a break, as world leaders decided what was to be done about the Galra. So the paladins had a week or so to do what they liked, ‘explore Earth again’, as they’d been told. Today was day one, and Shiro was determined to make the most of his time there. 

“So what’s up?” Lance asked, lacing his fingers behind his head. His eyes kept flitting over to Keith, and Shiro grinned inwardly. Something was going to happen between those two eventually. 

“Yeah, why’d you just call us in here?” Pidge said. She adjusted her glasses and tucked some hair behind her ear. She’d just decided to start growing her hair out again, and already it was almost to her shoulders. Shiro thought she looked nice that way. Hunk raised his hand and said,

“We’re not in trouble are we?”

Shiro chuckled and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. Hunk had been nervous ever since coming back to the Garrison, no doubt do to what happened the last time he was here. Shiro hoped Hunk didn’t think he was still in trouble for escaping. 

“No, you’re fine. But I do have a question.” 

“Sure,” Keith said. “What do you need?” 

Shiro took a deep breath, finding the floor suddenly fascinating. “Well, uh…you see…” 

“Are you okay?” Lance said. 

“Yeah, fine.” He shook himself a little to clear his head. “Just, I uh…well, you know how we have a week until the Garrison gives us their decision?” The group nodded. “And, well, Allura…” 

Pidge spoke up. “Yeah, I was wondering. Why isn’t she here? And Coran?” 

“Well, I’m getting to that.” He scratched his neck and bit his lip. “It would be kind of awkward to have Coran here, cause he’s kind of like a dad to her. And…you know, this is Allura’s first time to Earth.” 

“What about it?” Keith said. 

“I was thinking about asking if she wanted to go do something. With me.” He took a sharp breath as soon as the words were out of his mouth. 

The reactions came instantly. Hunk’s mouth fell open. Lance and Keith shared a smirk. Pidge couldn’t stop grinning. 

“I knew it!” She said, and turned to Hunk. “You owe me ten bucks.” 

“Aw, fine.” Hunk dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, grumbling. 

Shiro frowned. “What, you knew?” 

Lance barked out a laugh. “Of course! It’s not hard to tell you like her, man.” 

“You have been through a lot together,” Keith said. 

“Yeah.” Lance grinned. “Like when she saved you from that Galra ship…” 

“Or when you comforted her after her father’s AI went nuts.” 

“And especially recently.” Lance winked. “I mean, she carried your soul. I don’t think you can get more soul-matey than that.” 

Shiro’s face heated up more and more as they continued listing off times he and Allura had bonded. 

“Okay, that’s enough.” He held up a hand, eager to get the two to stop. “So…what should I do? What should she see?” 

“Oh, we’ve got a couple ideas already.” Pidge grinned. Shiro gulped. 

 

\--

 

“That should be everything,” Lance said, wiping his hands together like he’d just completed some very hard work. Shiro shook his head as the boy grinned at Keith. 

In his hands, Shiro held a list of seven items, written in four different fonts, from Pidge’s tiny scrawl to Keith’s blocky lettering. Lance had written three ideas, Pidge had added two, and Keith and Hunk had each contributed one. Shiro held it out in front of his face. 

“Are you sure these are good—“ He began, but Pidge shushed him. 

“She’s coming,” she said, peeking out the door. 

Shiro had battled Zarkon, died, come back to life, but the terror he felt now made all that seem like a simple lap around the planet. 

“We’re in here, Allura!” Lance called, smiling from ear to ear. Shiro had to stop himself from slapping his newly made hand over the paladin’s mouth. 

In a moment, the door opened, revealing the princess. Maybe it was his nerves (it was definitely his nerves), but he swore her bronze skin and pale hair shone brighter today, her eyes sparkled more than usual today. She smiled at him, and he could feel his face heat. 

“Hey…um, hi…hello, Princess.” He started, but stopped as he felt four sets of hands on his shoulders, shoving him forward. 

“Come on, Shiro. Don’t you have something to say?” Keith said. Seriously? Even Keith, ever the loner, was in on this? 

“Oh,” Allura said. “What is it?” She looked at him. He gulped. 

“Well, I was wondering…” Were her eyes always this bright? You can do this, Shiro. You’ve died and come back to life, you can ask a girl out. But she was an alien. What if she didn’t know what dates were? Oh god, this was a mistake…

“Well, I’d like to speak with those officials again. We can talk later?” Before he knew it she’d turned around and was opening the door. 

“Wait,” he said, holding out a hand. Thank whatever gods above, she turned. “Would you want to see some of the planet? With me?” Great job, Shiro. He wanted to sink into the ground. “Since this is your first time here. There’s so much to see, I’d love to show it to you.” 

To his immense surprise, her eyes lit up and she smiled. 

“That would be lovely. I do need to get used to the planet. What did you have in mind?” 

“That’s a surprise,” Lance said, winking. 

“You all don’t want to come with us?” She looked in turn at each paladin, then at Shiro. “Is that all right with you?” He was about to say yes, before Pidge cut in. 

“Oh, yeah, we’re all super busy. Seeing our families, and all that. You guys have fun without us!” She gave Shiro a knowing look, and his face flushed. 

“All right,” she said slowly. “Well, I’ll see you later then, Shiro.” 

“Sure.” He agreed. “Meet me in front of the Garrison?” She nodded, and exited. Immediately he let out a long breath, and shortly after was attacked on all sides by an enormous group hug. 

“Great job,” Hunk said, laughing. “That was about the bravest thing I’ve ever seen you do.” 

“I’ve never seen him so flustered,” Lance said. 

Keith snorted. “Oh believe me, he gets like this sometimes.” 

“Oh my god, you have stories of early Shiro! Dude, you have to spill.” 

“Not to you, I don’t.” 

Quips between Lance and Keith escalated into bickering, and the hug broke apart. Pidge silently patted Shiro on the arm. 

“You’ve got this,” she said. “Don’t worry about it.” 

He was really, really trying not to.


	2. Luke Skywalker and Espressos

A few hours and another pep talk from the paladins later, Shiro stood outside the Garrison, looking out at the blank landscape. Somehow though, it didn’t feel dead to him like it used to. As he looked, he could see small animals crawling beneath the rocks, and heard a bird somewhere above him. And the sun was beginning to set, splaying the sky with burning orange and red, and a few stars were beginning to peek out. 

“I’ve never seen these stars before,” a voice said, and Shiro jumped as Allura stepped out the door. Her gaze was fixed on the dark part of the sky, but he couldn’t help staring at her.

“Your hair,” he said, gesturing to his own. 

“Oh, right.” She pulled her silver hair, now in a thick braid, over her shoulder. “Pidge did it for me. I’ve never had this style before.” She smiled. “I like it. Efficient. It certainly keeps it out of my face.” 

He nodded. “I like it too.” 

“So where are we going? What’s the big secret?” She smiled conspiratorially. He chuckled. 

“You’ll see.” He walked away from the entrance, Allura following a step behind. He took her around the building, to where all the lions perched. Black immediately perked up at his approach, and Blue looked toward Allura. “We’re going there tonight,” he said, pointing to Black. 

“Keith’s all right with that?” 

“Yes,” he said. “Right now we’re kind of exchanging the lion whenever we each need it. Taking turns, you know.” 

She nodded, and they entered the lion. As Black opened her mouth, Shiro resisted the urge to grab Allura’s hand and lead her inside. They entered the cockpit, and he sat in the chair as Black lit up for him. 

“Okay,” he said, reaching for the list in his pocket. He checked it once before sliding it back in. “You’re going to have to close your eyes.” 

She raised her eyebrows but did so. “Let’s go,” he whispered, and Black rose into the air at his command. 

The flight was barely a minute because of the lion’s speed, and they landed on the edge of a small city several miles from the Garrison, lights drowning out the stars above. Shiro smiled. 

“Can I open my eyes now?” Allura asked. 

“Not yet.” He stood and took her hand, ignoring the pounding of his heart. Slowly he led her out of the lion and to the dirt outside. They walked to the edge of the city in silence. In a moment they were on the main boulevard, and he said quietly, “Okay. You can open your eyes.” 

She did. The little gasp that came out of her mouth was a sound he wanted to capture and keep forever. She did a twirl as she took in the colored lights, the sound of cars, and the smell of concrete. 

“Shiro, this is…is this an Earth city?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. It’s pretty small, but it’s nice. Now come on.” He reluctantly let go of her hand and began to walk ahead of her. He could swear she looked a bit disappointed. “The real treat’s this way.” 

“Are you sure?” She said, raising an eyebrow. “I mean…” Her gaze followed the cars as they sped down the road. “What are those?” 

He chuckled. “Those are cars. They’re like the pods? Except on the ground. And they have four wheels, and you drive them with a steering wheel. And you can’t go into space in one.” She only looked more and more confused as he tried to explain. “You know what? We’ll get back to that.”

He took her down the street, waiting as she looked in each window. Everything interested her, even the fast food joints. The thing that stopped her though, was the jewelry store. Her hands touched the glass, and she looked like a child at a toy store, with her wide eyes and big smile. Shiro placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s closed now, but we can come back another day if you want, you can get something.” 

She looked back at him. “Really? I haven’t had something like this in so long.” Her fingers graced her earrings. He gestured her down the street and they continued, though he said,

“I think you’d look great with some amethyst, personally.” 

The smile on her face made every bit of money he might spend on her worth it. His face began to flush and he turned away. 

They walked for a bit longer, soon stopping in front of a tall classic theater, complete with glowing marquis and ticket stand. 

“Here we are,” he said, gesturing upwards. 

She smirked. “What is this place?” 

“It’s a movie theater. There’s a showing of A New Hope in a minute, and I figured it’d be a great choice for your first movie, you know, since it’s a space film.” He chuckled at her quizzical expression. “It might be better if I just show you.” 

 

—

 

They emerged from the theater a few hours later, and Shiro discovered two things: Star Wars was far less accurate about space battles than he remembered, and Allura loved popcorn. She had her third bag in her hand, and was munching on it in between sentences. 

“The technology isn’t unlike what we had on Altea.” She took another bite. “You know, watching something on a screen.” She swallowed. “But I can’t wrap my head around what happened to that man, Ben, wasn’t it? He disappeared. Did he die? It was awfully unclear.” 

Shiro shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, but don’t worry about it.”

“And that space travel. Everyone knows you can’t go light speed. Wormholes are faster, too. And Darth Vader is very interesting. Not unlike Zarkon, you know? Tall, evil, dresses in dark colors.” 

Shiro nodded. “You have a point.” 

He nodded, walking her down the street. She continued to speak about the movie for awhile, asking questions about light sabers and Princess Leia, chomping on popcorn the whole time. He found her love of the snack adorable, not to mention her curiosity during the whole movie. She’d watched with rapt attention the entire time. This of course made it easy for Shiro to almost take her hand over ten times, though he’d lost the courage each time. But her glittering eyes and rapid smile were enough, and he basked in her joy with a contentment he hadn’t known for a long time. 

She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you for that, Shiro. It was nice.” With no warning, she wrapped her hand around his arm so they looked for all the world like a young couple strolling down the street. He stared down at her then looked away. Maybe that would hide the blush on his face. 

“What?” She asked, a smirk in her tone. 

“Nothing, um, Princess,” he said. He really had to get it together. Before he could stop it, he yawned, using his prosthetic hand to cover his mouth. Allura frowned. 

“Are you all right? You’re tired, aren’t you? Oh, we should get back to the Garrison, you can get some rest.” She tightened her grip on his arm. Shiro smiled at her fussing. She’d been like this ever since he came to this body. 

“I’m fine,” he said, waving a hand. “Don’t worry about me.” 

“Shiro, you were replaced by a clone for months and I didn’t do anything. The least I can do is worry about you now.” 

He sighed. 

“Allura, you know that wasn’t your fault.” 

“You say that, but…” 

“Hey.” He met her eyes. “No one knew. And I’m right here, thanks to you.” He smiled. He looked away and his gaze settled upon a small sign with a steaming cup. “Princess,” he said. “I think I’ve got something you might like.” 

 

—

 

They entered the coffee shop together to the sound of a small doorbell. A barista welcomed them in, and Shiro waved a greeting. 

“What is this place?” Allura asked. 

“It’s a coffee shop.” 

She frowned. “Coffee? Is that like nunvil?” 

“No, that’s like alcohol.” he said, chuckling. “This is something different. You might like it.” They approached the counter and Shiro ordered. “Two tall espressos, please.” 

Allura stared at the list above the barista’s head, frowning. “What’s hot chocolate?”

“Ah, great choice.” He turned back to the barista. “And a hot chocolate, thanks.” He paid them and took Allura to a table while they waited for their order. In a minute it came, and they took their drinks to a booth. 

“So what is this…coffee?” She said. 

“It’s…well, it helps you stay awake. I thought we could use some.” 

“All right,” she said, shrugging. She leaned forward and took a sip. 

Instantly she reeled back and slammed her cup on the table. “What is that? It’s awful!” He couldn’t help himself, he laughed hard. 

“I guess it’s an acquired taste,” he said through chuckles. 

“Apparently.” 

“Try this.” He pushed the hot chocolate toward her. “You might like that better.” 

She did so, and a grin lit up her face. “That’s wonderful.” She took another, longer, sip. “Much better.” She turned to him. “Thank you, Shiro.” 

If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she was blushing, but it was probably just the heat of her drink. 

She sighed and looked about to lean back in the booth, but she stayed rigid. 

“Hey, it’s ok,” he said. “You can relax here. We’re safe.” He demonstrated by settling into his side of the booth. “See?” She smiled and leaned back a bit. 

“I suppose you’re right. I’m just not used to being…safe, is all.” 

His smile faded. “Me neither.” He sighed and sipped his espresso. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. “Allura…Princess. I never got the chance to thank you for what you did for me. Putting my soul in this body.” 

“What?” She sat up, brow lowering. “There’s no need to do that.” 

“Of course there is.” He summoned all his courage and put his hand over hers on the table. His next words, he said slowly. “Thank you, Allura.” He smiled. “Really.” 

She looked away and played with a piece of her hair. “Well, all right. You’re welcome.” 

“I know…” He bit his lip. “I know you blame yourself for so much. Lotor, and the clone, and more. But you don’t have to take that blame. None of this was your fault.” 

She looked at him with wide eyes. 

“You say that so easily.” 

“Because it’s true.” 

Her face flushed, and she blinked when he tilted his head in concern. Grinning, she pulled her hand from his. “Truly, Shiro, you are bad for my health.” 

He chuckled. “Just telling you the truth, Princess.” 

“Well, all right.” She smiled. “Thank you, Shiro.” A few moments of silence passed, then she said, “Are we doing this again tomorrow?” 

“Yeah. I mean, um, yes.” He nodded, thinking of the list in his pocket, now with two items crossed off. “If you’d like.” 

“I’d love to,” she said. Shiro gulped and hoped he wasn’t blushing too hard.


	3. Clothes and Encouragement

The next morning, Shiro and Allura woke up early and were in the Black Lion by 9:30, on Shiro’s insistence. He flew them to a far away city about three states away, but in Black it barely took any time at all. 

“Where are we going this time?” She asked. 

“The mall.” 

She furrowed her brow. “Is this like the ‘space mall’,” she raised her fingers in air quotes, “Coran wouldn’t let me go to?”

He grinned. “I think you’ll like it.” 

They flew down towards the city, landing like last night a ways off. They took Black’s small pod into the city itself, getting some odd looks from passers-by. In a few moments Shiro had them in front of the mall. It was an enormous structure, a long rectangular building with four floors, so plenty of places to shop. 

“So what are we doing here, exactly?” She said. 

“Getting some clothes for you. I mean, you look great,” he blushed, waving a hand, “but it might be easier for you to blend in with some Earth clothes, you know?” She nodded, this apparently being a good enough explanation for her.

A smile spread across her face as soon as they entered. Her gaze flit from one shop to the next, and she seemed to want to go in all of them. The first one they stopped in front of was a small boutique, with the latest Earth fashions in the window. 

“Would you like to go in here?” He asked. 

“Sure, let’s.” She nodded and stepped inside. 

The place smelled of lavender and roses, and clothes covered the walls and two racks. Allura stopped in front of the shorts. 

“What are these?” 

“Those? Those are shorts.” 

She frowned. “But they’re so…small.” 

He chuckled. “That’s kind of the point. They’re for hot weather, and you can move easily in them.” She tilted her head, and he said, “You want to try some on?” 

“Can I?” 

He nodded. “Of course. The changing room’s right there.” He pointed to a small door at the back, where a saleswoman smiled at them. Allura picked a pair of blue jean shorts, and at a whim, a t-shirt with roses on it. In a moment she had disappeared into the changing room. 

Shiro bit his lip as he waited for her. What if this was a bad idea? What if she didn’t know how to put on Earth clothes? What if she needed help? The thought of helping Allura dress made him blush more than a little, and he shoved the thoughts of uncovered bronze skin from his head. 

She emerged from the room a moment later, and his jaw dropped. 

She was the picture of summer. The roses brought out the pink of her pupils and the warm glow of her skin, and the shorts revealed elegantly muscled legs. Her arms were uncovered as well, and he tried not to look at her biceps. He couldn’t remember her ever showing this much skin before. She looked good. Okay, not good. She looked like a goddess. 

“Wow,” he said, tugging at his collar. “You uh…look great.” 

“Really? Thank you.” She turned a little, inspecting herself. “These…shorts, are wonderful. Functional, and adorable, if I do say so myself.” She grinned. “Earth fashions are wonderful!” 

Just as Shiro was about to agree with her, the saleswoman, a petite red-haired woman, approached them. 

“Would you like to try some of our newer items, ma’am? We have some dresses, skinny jeans, and crop tops if you’d like.” 

Allura nodded, and beckoned Shiro to help her pick something from the rack marked ‘new’. He held up a short pale blue dress, but to his surprise she held out a black leather jacket, complete with miniature spikes and rhinestones. Well, he should have known. She couldn’t resist something sparkly. With an enormous grin on her face, she pulled it on. 

“Well?” She asked. “I like it!” 

“You look amazing,” he said, but inside he was panicking. She’d put the leather jacket on top of the rose shirt and shorts. It was like seeing the love child of grunge and chic. The jacket gave her just enough of a tough vibe, making him remember all the times he’d seen her kick Galra ass. He looked away and swallowed. 

“Are you all right?” She said, drawing his attention back to her. 

“Oh, yeah. I’m, um, fine. Just…” He put a hand on the back of his neck. “Remember that time you threw me into a pod so I could escape?” 

She blinked, then laughed. “Oh my goodness Shiro, I almost forgot. That was so long ago.” 

“Yeah,” he said, voice soft. She’d lifted him with one hand. Sometimes, when he wasn’t having nightmares about being a Galra prisoner, he dreamt about that moment. The panic, the heat of his hand melding metal, then the sensation of flying followed by slamming into the floor. And the dread when he realized what she’d done. 

That was long ago, now. There were much more recent things to feel guilty for. His heart tightened for a moment, but when he saw the happiness on Allura’s face as she twirled in the jacket, it began to fade.

“Anything else you want to try?” He said. 

“I’m not sure. What’s this?” She held up a crop top. 

He grinned. “That’s a crop top. Lance loves those, so he’s told me.” She frowned and tilted her head, but smiled. 

“I’ll try it.” 

With that, she disappeared once more into the changing room. A throat cleared behind him, and he turned to see the saleswoman. 

“Can I help you?” He said. 

“Oh, no.” She smiled. “I was just wondering. Are you two…a couple? You just get along so well.” She twirled a lock of hair idly. “You look cute together, is all.” 

His eyes widened and he looked down, feeling his face heat. 

“No,” he said quickly. “We’re not.” 

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Her voice sounded sympathetic, and when he looked her eyes shone with understanding. “She looked so into you.” 

“What?” He yelped. 

Before he could ask what she meant, someone tapped on his shoulder. He whipped around, still frazzled, to stare at Allura. 

God, she looked adorable in that crop top. The thing that caught his gaze the most though, was of course her abs. Because my god, she was muscular. She had perfectly formed muscles all over her body. It almost wasn’t fair. And it just served to remind him what an incredible woman she was. 

His heart was beating out of control now, and he pulled at his collar again. But before he could make a fool of himself, the saleswoman grabbed some clothes and shoved them into Allura’s arms, deaf to any objections. 

“You’ll love these! I insist. Yes, they’ll look lovely on you. And be sure to try them all before you come out. Yeah, just pick your favorite. Take as muuuuch time as you need.” As she drew out the long vowel, she winked at Shiro. He gulped. 

Allura retreated into the changing room again, leaving Shiro alone with the saleswoman. Her name tag said Ailish. 

“Um…” He trailed off, unsure of what to say. 

“She likes you! Is that not obvious?” 

“No?”

“Oh.” Ailish put a hand to her forehead. “Well, I’m sorry you haven’t noticed. She cares how you think she looks. Have you not seen that?” 

He looked away. He hadn’t. 

“But that’s impossible,” he said. “She’s a princ…she’s so much better than me. Above me.” 

“Well for someone who’s supposed to be above you, she seems nice.” 

“She is,” he said, nodding. “Very nice.” Sweet, even. And brave. Resilient. Compassionate. Responsible. Regal. He could go on. 

“Well you’re certainly into her,” she said, raising her eyebrows. He looked away, sputtering. Ailish giggled and clasped her hands behind her back. “If you like her, why don’t you ask her out?” 

He looked down. “Well, uh…I did.” 

Ailish’s eyes widened. “Oh. So this was a date, and she doesn’t know.” 

He nodded, shrugging. She winced. “Sorry about that,” she said. “But hey, why don’t you tell her how you feel? That’s always romantic.” 

Shiro bit his lip. “Maybe?” He said. He didn’t know how he felt about getting love advice from an overzealous saleswoman, but then again, he’d been dead before, so he was confident he could survive this. 

“Of course you’d need a good location…” 

“Well, I was gonna take her to a flower shop later…she loves flowers.” He explained. Ailish frowned. 

“You could do better. If she likes flowers so much, why not take her to a botanical garden? Has she been to one before?” 

A smile crept up on his face. “No, she hasn’t. That’s…actually a great idea.” Ailish just grinned. She told him the address of one nearby, and he wrote it on the back of his list. 

Moments later, Allura came out of the dressing room. Shiro grinned as she twirled in the sundress she’d chosen, a pale yellow dress with a pattern of sunflowers. 

“Incredible,” he said, and she giggled. He paused. Did she just giggle? Ailish wasn’t right, was she? Allura didn’t actually like him, not like that. 

He shook the thoughts out of his head, and paid for the rose shirt, shorts, crop top, jacket, and sundress Allura had chosen. It was an expensive purchase, but he didn’t mind. After all, Allura looked over the moon to have Earth clothes. 

“So where next?” She asked. 

“Well, after this afternoon, we’re going to a special place tomorrow, so I figured we need supplies for that.” 

“Supplies?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“Swimsuits.” 

He could practically feel Ailish grinning behind him.


	4. Roses and Rain

“Shiro, look!” Allura pointed to some flowers, her face glowing with a smile. “What are those?” 

“Lilies,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He gulped. He had to tell her. He stepped away and pulled out his phone, texting the team again. They’d set up a group chat specifically for this purpose without even telling him, calling it ‘Operation Shallura’. The name had been Lance’s idea. 

Allura bounded over to the lilies, fingering the petals and leaning in to smell. They’d only recently arrived at the gardens, and immediately Allura’s face had lit up. She’d put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, giving him a soft smile and thanking him. His stomach was still full of butterflies from that. 

His phone was buzzing with texts from the gang, mostly encouraging phrases like, ‘You’ve got this!’ or ‘She’ll be so happy’. He ran a hand through his hair, taking a long breath.  
Maybe they were right, but maybe they weren’t. For as long as he’d known Allura, she’d been focused on the mission above all else. She probably didn’t want anything distracting like a boyfriend. But what if he said yes? He’d be the happiest man in the world. But then, she might not accept at all. 

He closed his eyes tight, trying to shove the barrage of thoughts from his head. A finger tapped on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Allura looking at him, brow wrinkled.

“Are you all right?” she said. 

He nodded. “Fine. Sorry, just…thinking.” 

“Oh?” She turned and began walking, beckoning for him to come beside her. “Anything in particular?” 

“Nothing,” he said, and cleared his throat. Her gaze was fixed on him, and she was awfully close, and none of that was helping. He wanted to run and stay at the same time, and his face was hotter than the summer air they walked through. The grin on his face probably made him look stupid. He was dumb for thinking this was going to work. 

“All right,” she said, her tone telling him she didn’t believe him. She looked toward the flowers and sighed. “You know…this place reminds me of Altea.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes.” She nodded. “The flowers, the scent filling the air. It’s lovely.” She shrugged, her smile both overjoyed and heartbroken. “It’s almost like being home again.” 

“Oh, Allura, I didn’t mean…” He trailed off, smacking himself on the head mentally. What had he been thinking, taking her to see flowers? She was missing Altea now. How could he have been such an idiot?

“This is wonderful,” she said, and his heart pounded loud in his ears as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He stared for a moment before remembering to look around at the flowers. 

“Oh,” he said dumbly. “Yeah. Sure. I mean, no problem. You’re welcome, Allura.” 

They stayed that way for awhile, neither one speaking. His thoughts reeled round and round in his head, so fast it was hard to focus on any single one. He was ready, he wasn’t. He had this, he didn’t. What was he thinking? 

He felt a light sheen of sweat on his forehead and pursed his lips. His stomach tensed and he tried to take a deep breath. Was love always this hard? He had no idea how to do this. What should he say? Should he just shout, ‘I like you’, like some school kid? Or should it be more elaborate? Oh god, he really hadn’t thought this through. The flowers around him reminded him that he should’ve gotten her some. Maybe some chocolate, or something romantic. No, that was stupid. He was stupid. She’d never accept. This was a mistake. 

Allura still hadn’t moved her head from his shoulder. He looked down at her and asked in a soft voice, 

“Hey, Allura?” 

“Hm?” 

“Do you think I make too many mistakes?” 

She looked up at him. “What are you talking about?” 

“Just…” he sighed. “I’m a leader, and that’s great, but…” He shrugged. “Even leaders mess up. There are so many times that I could’ve done something better, or made a different choice, and maybe things wouldn’t turned out different. Maybe certain people would still be alive, maybe I wouldn’t be such a mess—“ 

“I’m going to stop you right there.” 

He blinked and met her gaze. 

“What?” He said. 

“I’m going to stop you right there,” she repeated. “Shiro, don’t you ever say anything like that. Of course you’ve made mistakes. We all have. I certainly have.” She looked down, then up at him. “But just because we make them doesn’t mean we haven’t done things right. You’ve done so much for this team. They look to you when they’re afraid, when the situation seems hopeless. You’ve done so much more good than you think, Shiro.” She squeezed his arm lightly. “Please trust me on that.” 

“Allura, you know I trust you,” he said. He blinked. Shit. Had he said that out loud? She didn’t seem to mind though, because she grinned. 

“Well, then that’s settled.” She laughed and looked back to the flowers. 

Suddenly she gasped and ran over to a bush. Shiro’s lips parted as he realized what she was looking at. 

“What are these?” She asked, smelling a flower. 

“Roses,” he said softly. He reached an arm out to finger a soft petal, a half-smile forming on his face. They really did smell wonderful. 

Allura was right. She always was. He made mistakes, they all did. But that didn’t mean he was a bad person. 

He had to tell her. This was perfect. In a quick movement, he texted the group chat that he and Allura were standing in front of the roses. Immediately the chat was flooded with texts like, ‘this is it!’ or ‘do it now!’, including a Lenny face from Lance. Shiro rolled his eyes at that. He took a deep breath and turned to Allura. She turned to him and tilted her head. 

“Listen, Allura—“ 

The first drop struck his nose. 

He looked up, and into the rain that was soon pouring from the sky. 

Oh, great. Now it was raining. He took a deep breath and prepared to continue, looking back at Allura. His breath died in his throat when he saw her.

Her eyes were wide, staring up at the sky. Drops fell onto her skin, and she made no move to wipe them away. People all around them were pulling out umbrellas or running under cover, but not Allura. She reached a hand out to catch drops. 

“Shiro…what is this?” She asked softly. 

He sighed. He could tell her another time. He just couldn’t ruin the pure wonder on her face. 

“Rain,” he said. “This is rain.”


	5. Beaches and Water Fights

Shiro made sure Allura’s eyes were closed the entire walk from the lion to the edge of the water. He was glad she couldn’t see his grin, or see the surprise. 

“Are we almost there?” She asked. “I hear waves.” 

“Yeah, we’re almost there.” He stopped just at the edge of the shore. “All right, here.” She stepped up next to him, though her brows knit together. A wave approached her feet, and she gasped. 

“All right, open your eyes,” he said through laughter. 

She did. 

Shiro chuckled as her eyes widened, and she looked all around them, from the beach at their backs to the ocean ahead. The sun sparkled on the water, and Shiro thanked whatever gods above for the cloudless day. Though the heat bore down on them, the promise of a cool swim in the sea stood enticing before them. 

“So what do you think?” He gestured in front of them. 

“Shiro…what is this?” She asked. 

“It’s the beach. Well, this is the beach.” He nodded at the sand. “That’s the ocean.” He pointed out to the water. 

“Incredible.” She grinned. “Is this why you made us buy these?” She looked down at herself. 

She looked too good in a swimsuit for words, if he was going to be honest. She’d chosen a teal one piece suit, with sunflowers on it. She seemed to have a liking for floral patterns. He’d chosen one with black and purple diamonds on the sides, reminding him of the Black lion. She’d stared at him when he tried it on, though he didn’t understand why. 

Now, she stared out at the water. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she met his eyes. 

“Shall we?” He said. She nodded with a big smile. He grabbed her hand and led her out to the water. 

She gasped at the cold a few times, prompting chuckles from him, but soon enough they were far out from shore, the water reaching up to their hips. 

She looked at him. “So what now?” 

“Well…time to go under, right?” He said, shrugging. 

“Under?” 

“It’s the best way to get used to the water,” he said, and with that he submerged himself in the water, all the way up to the top of his head. In a moment he was back up, laughing at Allura’s open mouth. 

“Do I have to?” She asked, voice high. 

“Aw, come on, Allura. You were never one to shy away from an adventure.” He spread his arms wide. 

“Fine,” she groaned with fake annoyance. She closed her eyes and mouth firmly, and ducked into the water. 

Within a second she was back up, gasping from the cold. She glared at him as he laughed, but soon she was bending over laughing too. “That was…horribly cold!” She said between chuckles as they calmed down. 

“Maybe, but you’re used to it now, right—“ He stopped, sputtering as water splashed in his face. It was his turn to glare as she shrugged, a mischievous grin on her face. “Oh, it’s on.” 

Within moments they were flinging water at each other, dipping their arms into the sea and lifting them up to hurl salt water into each other’s faces. The splashing war lasted for a full fifteen minutes, and when it ended, Shiro found himself wishing it had continued. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time. 

He allowed himself a quick stare, taking in Allura’s glowing smile and warm eyes. His heart fluttered in his chest. He had to tell her. This was the perfect time, wasn’t it? They were both in good spirits, having some relaxing fun. He opened his mouth to begin, but she beat him to it. 

“I um, wanted to thank you,” she said. 

He blinked. “For what?” 

She stepped closer in the water, and he gulped at the proximity. “For taking me out and doing all these Earth activities together. I must say, it was much needed. For both our sakes.”   
“I have to agree,” he said, a lazy smile coming onto his face. “This has been fun, hasn’t it?” 

“Of course!” She said, clasping her hands together in front of her. “Gods, I haven’t had this much fun since…” Her face fell. 

“Since what?” His fingers reached out to graze her arm. 

“Since Lotor.” 

It was like all the warmth vanished from the air. He stepped back, his hands falling to his sides. He couldn’t not notice her suddenly despondent face, eyes full of despair.   
Mentally, he was kicking himself. What could he have been thinking? Taking her out on all these dates? She didn’t want him. She wasn’t even remotely interested. She still wasn’t over Lotor. How could he have been such an idiot? His heart burned in his chest, and he gritted his teeth. 

She missed Lotor, of course she did, though he’d broken her heart. Now, it was mending, but there were still tears in places, rips Shiro could see plain as day. That had to be it. God, he was stupid. No matter how much he liked, or even loved her, she’d never want him. She’d probably been faking all the smiles over the past few days, all the times he thought she’d liked him back. That saleswoman was insane. Allura didn’t love him.

He cleared his throat and took another step back. “We should be getting back,” he said curtly. 

“What?” She asked, surprise clear in her voice. “But we’ve only just arrived.” 

He didn’t respond. He stepped back out of the water, using one of the towels he’d brought to dry himself. 

“Come on,” he said, voice flat. She stepped alongside him. 

“Shiro, what’s gotten into you?” Her voice rang with an odd desperation. He shook his head. Whatever she felt, it wasn’t for him. It was for a prince lost in the quintessence field. “Shiro. Shiro. Look at me!” 

He didn’t. He opened Black and stepped inside, wordlessly waiting for her. She hurried to his side, eyes wide and brow lowered. He climbed into the cockpit, sitting down at the pilot’s chair. She came alongside him, still repeating his name. 

“Shiro. Speak to me, please.” 

“What do you want me to say?” He asked. 

She remained silent for a moment, then spoke. “We are doing this again tomorrow, aren’t we? Doing something else?” 

He stared straight ahead. “Whatever you want, Princess.”


	6. Motivation and Music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! So I know season 7 just dropped, and this is no longer canon-compliant, but I hope you continue to read. Thanks so much for all the support you've already given, it means so much. Thanks for everything!

“Shiro, the team and I all agree that you are being, to use the technical term, a dumbass.” Lance said, in a complete deadpan. Shiro frowned. 

“But—“ he started, only to have Pidge hold up a hand. 

“Ah, no.” She said. “You’re being insane. Allura doesn’t like Lotor anymore.”

“Yeah, we’ve established that,” Keith said, holding out a hand with the other arm crossed over his chest. “She doesn’t like him, Shiro. He’s dead now. So what’s the big deal?” 

“The big deal,” Shiro said, taking a deep breath, “is that you didn’t see her face. She looked so…sad. She has to still like him.” 

The team groaned collectively. 

“You’ve been telling us that for the past hour, and we’re telling you, Shiro, that’s just not true.” Pidge adjusted her glasses, one eyebrow raised. 

“Yeah, man.” Hunk put a hand on his shoulder. “Seriously. Lotor is gone, poof, out of the picture. I mean, yeah, they were really close when he was alive, and they did kiss that one time—“ 

“See, of course she misses him.” Shiro bowed his head. 

“Ah, you didn’t let me finish,” Hunk said. “What I was going to say is, that doesn’t matter now. She’s over him. She’s the strongest person any of us know. You really think she’s still hung up on some guy?” 

Shiro shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe you’re right. But I’d completely understand if she did like him still. He was great. Said all the right things. He sure was better looking than me. I mean…” He pointed to his scar and arm. “I’m just a broken pilot.” 

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Keith said, stepping in front of him, arms crossed, typical frown in place. “Shiro, if this all comes down to a self-esteem issue, let me tell you this. You are the best person I know. If it were up to me, nobody deserves someone as perfect as you. But Allura does. You’re smart, and a great pilot, and yeah, you’ve been through a lot, but that just makes you stronger.” 

Shiro stood a little straighter, meeting Keith’s eyes.

“Thanks, Keith,” he said slowly. “Really. Thank you.” 

“Plus you’ve got great hair. Better than Lotor’s, I promise.” 

Shiro snickered at that. “Well, thanks for that too.” He looked around at the rest of the team. “You guys are sure about this? She might still be—“ 

“Yes!” They said collectively. 

“All right.” 

 

——

 

“What is it?” Allura asked in a skeptical tone, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared. Before them stood an enormous, sleek, black piano, open and begging to be played. Of course Allura didn’t know that though. 

As Shiro approached the empty bench, he mentally thanked Lance and Keith. It had been Keith’s idea to show her piano, it being Shiro’s personal favorite instrument. And Lance had been the one to find the one now before he and Allura, in the middle of a public park in a city a few hundred miles from the Garrison. 

Shiro sat on the bench now, his hands hovering above the keys. For a moment he doubted his ability to still play, what with his prosthetic hand and the years that had passed since he’d last played. Oh, no. This was a terrible idea, wasn’t it? 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to calm the storm of his thoughts. The bench creaked, and he looked up to see Allura sit down next to him. The dappled light through the trees high above their heads made her hair shimmer like starlight, and the sight made his breath catch for a moment. He gave her a small smile. 

“Is it a…device?” She said, tilting her head. “It appears to be rather rudimentary.” 

“I suppose you’re right,” he agreed. “The technologies simple. It’s a actually a pretty old instrument, now that I think about it.” 

“An instrument?” Her face lit up in a smile. “For music?” 

He nodded. “Yep.” Taking another breath, he lowered his fingers to the keys. “All right, Shiro,” he muttered under his breath, soft enough she couldn’t hear. “Play what you feel. You’ve got it.” 

With that, he began to play. He began in a major key like always. His fingers found their own way over the piano, playing a simple but pleasant melody. 

In every aspect of his young life, he’d been a rule-follower, living and eventually leading, the way he’d been taught. But on the piano, he was different. Playing, he was an improviser, making his own music, writing his own story. He’d begun to have this as a philosophy, he supposed, especially as he began to make choices of his own, like becoming a pilot, or his decision to take care of a young Keith. And improvisation was an important quality of a leader, a quality he’d been forced to use many times over the last few years, as he experienced new things, from the Voltron lions to aliens to new worlds, things that had before existed only in his wildest dreams (though admittedly he hadn’t predicted the lions). 

He found now that his ability to create as he went hadn’t faded at all, if anything it had gotten stronger. He was keenly aware of Allura’s presence next to him, so he played where his mind took him, the song forming into a soft tone of affection. He’d lost track of how long he’d been in love with her months ago, so it was a constant part of his life, the sweaty palms (even if he only really had one), the blushing, the heart pounding. He couldn’t escape it, and frankly, he didn’t want to. Sometimes thoughts of her kept him up at night, but he didn’t mind. 

The music turned longing and bittersweet as he thought of all the times he’d looked at her across the room, wishing and hoping and wanting. Would she ever look at him like he wanted? She’d certainly looked at Lotor that way. Shiro still had the clone’s memories, and on occasion one would come unbidden, visions of Lotor and Allura with matching Altean marks, glowing in darkness, or walking off together to work on Lotor’s ships. 

Pain stabbed at Shiro’s heart at those thoughts. She and Lotor had been so close. Had she truly forgotten him? The team had told him she had. But still, a part of his heart doubted, wondering if he was just setting himself up for heartbreak. The song reflected his thoughts, turning melancholy, despondent even. He didn’t know how this was going to turn out. Did he really want to know? 

Finally his hands came to a stop, the music ending on a question. 

Shiro took a breath. He hadn’t looked at her the whole time, keeping his gaze on the piano. Now fear pumped through him, though he couldn’t quite discern the reason. After taking a moment to compose himself, Shiro lifted his head and looked up. 

Deep brown arms wrapped around him. Silver hair caressed his cheek. It took him a moment to realize what Allura had done. She was hugging him. 

For a second he was rigid, blood rushing to his cheeks. Then he had a moment of panic, thinking if he didn’t hug back, what was she going to think of him, so…he did. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around her slender, muscular shoulders, and allowed himself to enjoy her warmth. She was so warm. She smelled like home. He briefly allowed himself to wonder what she tasted like. 

“That was wonderful,” she whispered into his ear. “I think I like Earth music. Is it all like that?” 

“No.” He chuckled. “There’s so many different kinds.” 

She drew back and met his eyes. His heart skipped a beat at the open smile on her face. “Tell me about them?” 

Of course he agreed. 

Abruptly he became aware of the crowd that had gathered around he and Allura, clapping for his playing. He turned and smiled, waving, and the applause became louder. 

“Should we get out of here?” He asked Allura, as she stared at the people. “If you don’t like the crowd—“ 

“No, it’s all right.” With that, she laid her head on his shoulder. He looked, and her smile had spread wider. He grinned, and turned back to the crowd. 

Maybe everything between them would be okay after all. Maybe he really did have a chance.


	7. Bikes and Ice Cream

“I still don’t understand the point of these,” Allura said as she hopped off the rental bike. “You have ‘cars’. ” She raised her fingers in air quotes, a gesture she’d picked up from Pidge. 

“Well, they’re nice.” Shiro shrugged, then observed, “You learned fast.” 

“Thank you,” she said lightly, strolling up to join him. “So where are we?” 

“In line.” 

“I can see that.” She raised her eyebrows. 

“In line for the greatest dessert in the universe,” he clarified, gesturing up to the sign, showing an enormous waffle cone and scoop of vanilla. “Ice cream.” He grinned at the confusion on her face. In Shiro’s experience, it was impossible to hate ice cream, so as they inched closer to the counter, the energy in his blood began to rise. That and, this was the last ‘date’ he had planned. 

The last one. He’d had more fun than he’d thought possible on these outings with her, and if he was honest, he’d fallen even deeper in love with her. He wanted to see her open, curious smile every day, wanted to feel those lips against his own. Just thinking about it made his spirit lighter. 

He flashed back to the first few ‘dates’, when they’d traded the feeling of guilt for all the things they’d done wrong, or hadn’t done at all. Thank goodness that was behind them. He knew that feeling might come back, but if he was with Allura, he was sure he could face it. But then, that wasn’t his main concern. 

His only real problem was a man that was dead. Lotor. 

By now, Shiro and Allura could see the list of flavors on a chalkboard, though they were still aways from the counter. Allura squinted to see it, biting her bottom lip. She looked so cute when she did that, he mused. He looked at the list as well, eventually being caught between chocolate chip and coffee. Allura’s shoulders drooped a little and she said, 

“I do wish they had juniberry.” 

Shiro chuckled. “I’m sorry to tell you, but that doesn’t exactly exist on Earth.” 

“That’s terrible,” she said with a mock frown, and they shared a chuckle. After a moment she said, “What is chocolate raspberry?” 

Shiro tried not to laugh at her pronunciation of raspberry (she pronounced the p). “It’s really good,” he said, then whispered, “And it’s raz-berry.” 

“What?” She looked genuinely confused. “Are you sure?” 

“Positive.” 

“Oh.” She crossed her arms. “Odd.” 

After a few moments they were at the counter, and ordered two waffle cones, one chocolate chip and one chocolate raspberry. As they waited for their orders, Shiro tried to explain chocolate. 

“It’s a dessert. Like that hot chocolate you had? That was it, basically. It’s that, except hard. It comes in bars.” He gestured with his hands, the shape of a chocolate bar. “Although you’ll be having it in ice cream form. I’m making this more complicated, aren’t I?”

“Hm.” Allura blinked rapidly. “Sounds a little like corvac. It’s an Altean treat,” she explained. “Although I’m eager to try chocolate ‘in ice cream form’.” Yes, she was fond of those air quotes. 

“You’ll love it,” he said, and winked. The girl behind the counter handed them their ice cream, and Shiro paid her, giving a small tip. He handed Allura her cone and said, “Your first chocolate raspberry, your highness.” She laughed and took it. 

“So how do I eat it?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“You lick it. Like so.” He licked his own chocolate chip to demonstrate. “See?” 

Her brow furrowed and released. “Hm.” Hesitantly, she reached her tongue out and tasted her ice cream. 

Her eyes widened, and she beamed. “Shiro, that’s wonderful!” 

“Knew you’d like it.” He grinned, then guffawed. “Allura…you have something on your face.” 

Smack dab on the center of her nose was a dollop of ice cream. Allura touched her cheek, forehead, and chin before she found it. “Oh!” She gasped, then laughed, wiping the chocolate off. She then licked it off her finger. “Well, my verdict is it’s wonderful. But it could use a little something.” 

“And what would that be?” 

“Popcorn!” 

 

—-

He was stupid to think everything was fine then, he thought later. Then again, how could he have foreseen this? 

He was walking down the hall in the Garrison when he heard it. Just a whisper of a name, but he knew it. Coran and Allura in a room, speaking in low voices. The one name he’d never forget. 

“Lotor.” 

He was far enough away that he could hear the voices, but not so close as to determine everything they were saying. But he heard the name again. Why were those two talking about a dead prince? And one that Allura had been in love with, no less. He strained to hear more, and caught one more sentence from Allura. 

“I love him.” 

The ground dropped out from beneath him. He almost fell to his knees, but kept a hand against the wall. He began to shake without control. He knew it. Of course she hadn’t forgotten him. He took a breath to try and calm himself, but all it did was make him more aware of his lack of composure.

“Oh, god,” he whispered, and put a hand to his forehead. “This was all a mistake.”


	8. Friends and Brothers

Shiro wasn’t surprised when Keith found him on the roof of the Garrison. He’d only been up here for half an hour, but leave it to Keith to know exactly where he would go. Shiro stared at the stars, standing and cradling his prosthetic arm when the boy found him. He heard footsteps first, and knew instantly who it was. 

“How’d you know where I was?” He asked without turning. 

“Call it intuition,” Keith said. “Plus when you were an instructor, this was where you’d go when you were upset.” 

He forced out a chuckle. “Right.” It was so easy to forget about those days in the wake of all that had happened since. Kerberos, Voltron, the Galra. Allura. Sometimes Shiro wondered what would have become of him and the team if they hadn’t found the Blue lion, or if he hadn’t been captured by the Galra along with Sam and Matt. They would have returned to Earth, he supposed, and maybe everything would have gone back to normal. 

No, that wasn’t right. Nothing had ever been ‘normal’ in the first place. Aliens existed, after all. The Galra would have invaded eventually, and Earth would never be the same. There wouldn’t have been a Voltron to protect it, so the planet would fall easily. 

No Voltron. The thought made Shiro shiver. The universe at the whim of the Galra, with no protector in sight. He closed his eyes and forced the thought from his head. Still, there was one thought he couldn’t get rid of so easily. Not that he was surprised, what with where his mind had been going. 

Who would he be if he hadn’t met Allura? He would’ve never seen the sights he had, never known the depth of bravery within himself. Even now, he knew he would never meet someone as kind, as strong, or as deeply self-aware as the princess of Altea. She was everything he wished he could be, and more besides. He’d never meet another like her. 

“Have you ever been in love, Keith?” 

The boy sputtered, his face turning pink. “Wh-what? No. No. No way. I haven’t…I mean…where’d that come from?” 

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Just wondering. No need to get defensive.” 

“I’m not defensive!” 

Shiro gave him a flat look. 

“Okay, fine.” Keith groaned and crossed his arms. “But whatever. Why’d you ask that? Is this about Allura?” 

Shiro sighed. “Yeah. You could say that.” 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Keith asked, “Did something happen?” 

He shrugged, paused, then nodded. “I overheard her and Coran talking about Lotor.” 

“And?” 

“She said she loved him.” He sat down, and ran a hand through his hair. “So I guess you could say all my efforts have been for nothing. None of it mattered in the end.” He leaned back, putting his hands flat on the roof behind him. “In the end, she and I just aren’t meant to be.” 

“Shiro,” Keith said, sitting beside him. “I’m sorry that happened.” 

“Yeah, me too.” He couldn’t stop his voice from breaking. 

“But it isn’t like you to just give up like this. I won’t let you.” 

“What are you talking about?” He said, chuckling without joy. “It’s over. I know I heard right.” 

“Maybe you didn’t. And even if you did, she loves you too. I’ve seen it.” 

Shiro gave him a questioning look, but he continued. 

“I’m serious! If you could see the way she looks at you when you’re not paying attention, you’d see it too. It’s not hard to miss.” 

“Then how come I haven’t seen it?” He sighed, shoulders sagging in defeat. “You know Keith, for once I think you might be wrong.” 

“I promise, I’m not.” He leaned in and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone I ever said anything this cheesy, but I think you guys are meant to be.” 

“Like you and Lance?” 

It was like watching a firecracker, the way Keith leaped back, face flushed red like his old jacket. His mouth opened and closed rapidly as he scrambled for a response. Despite himself, Shiro laughed. “Sorry, sorry. I couldn’t resist.” He patted the space beside him. “Come on, sit back down.” 

Keith did so, grumbling the entire time about ‘stupid Shiro’ and his ‘stupid ideas’. 

“Come on, Keith,” Shiro said calmly, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You guys have been dancing around each other for so long now. When are you finally going to talk about it?” 

Keith crossed his arms, brow low. “There’s nothing to talk about.” 

“I think Lance would disagree.” 

“Shiro!” 

“Okay, sorry. I digress.” He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine…” Keith pulled his shoulders up, looking off to the side. After a moment he took a breath and relaxed. “Maybe take her out again.” 

“What? But what’s the point?” 

“Well, why not? What’s one more try? You still have the list, right?” 

Shiro pulled the crumpled paper from his pocket. All of the items were crossed off now. He took a moment to scan the list. Ice cream had been Lance’s idea, Earth fashion had been Pidge’s, flowers from Lance, music from Keith, movies was Pidge, bikes were Lance again, and coffee had been Hunk’s suggestion. 

He bit his lip. “She and I did them all. There’s…none left.” 

Keith frowned. “Oh.” 

“Oh is right,” A voice said from behind them. 

The two leapt to their feet, whipping around to see Lance, hands on hips and a mischievous grin on his face, with Hunk and Pidge running out the door after him. 

“Lance!” Keith yelped. “What-uh, what are you doing here?” 

“Nothing much, just spying on you guys.” He gave an exaggerated wink. Keith flushed. 

“How much did you hear?” Keith asked, voice strained. 

Lance gave a long sigh. “Honestly, not much. We just got up here.” He gestured to Hunk and Pidge behind him. “Why? Talking about anything important?” 

“No!” Shiro winced at Keith’s instinctual yell. Fortunately, a moment later Keith said, “Yeah, actually. Shiro wants to give up on Allura.” 

“What?” All three paladins yelled. “Why?” 

It took Shiro a few minutes to explain the situation. 

“Oh,” Hunk said, wincing. “That’s harsh, man.” 

“What are you gonna do about it?” Pidge asked. 

Keith spoke up. “I’ve been trying to tell him he can’t give up. He’s not listening.” Shiro shrugged at the boy’s harsh glare. 

“I agree with Keith,” Lance said, “As hard as that is to imagine. Seriously, Shiro. Allura’s crazy about you. Believe me.” 

Shiro scratched the back of his neck. “You say that, but…” 

“No, it’s obvious.” Pidge said, tone dead serious. 

“Easy to see,” Hunk added. 

“Really?” Shiro asked, straightening. “But I heard what she said. She loves—“ 

Lance held up a hand. “Um, it’s possible to be in love with two people at the same time, man. It would make sense if she wasn’t over Lotor, but she loves you too. And one more thing. You didn’t even hear the whole conversation. Maybe she had more to say after you left.” 

“You sure?” Shiro said, picking at an imaginary scratch on his prosthetic arm. 

“Positive.” 

“Oh.” He raised his eyebrows. “Then what should I do?” 

“Take her out one more time,” Keith said. 

“That’s a great idea!” Hunk perked up. “Can’t hurt to try, right?” 

“I guess…” Shiro mused, crossing his arms. “Any ideas? It needs to be perfect.” 

Lance clapped loudly. “Have I got the idea for you, Shiro!” 

“Really, already?” 

“What can I say? I guess I’m just good with romance.” 

Vaguely, Shiro heard Keith scoff. 

Lance didn’t seem to hear, and leaned in to scribble his idea on the list in Shiro’s hand. “Trust me. This’ll do the trick.” 

Shiro squinted to read the single word, then for the first time that night, he smiled. 

A few minutes later, Hunk, Lance, and Pidge all went downstairs to bed, leaving Shiro and Keith on the roof. Shiro sighed and pursed his lips. 

“Okay. I guess I’m doing this…maybe.” 

“Shiro, you have got to be kidding me. You’re still not into the idea? Come on.” 

“I just want it to work, is all. But she deserves someone incredible. As incredible as she is. I just don’t know if that’s me.” 

Keith stepped closer. “I know it’s you, Shiro. And…” He cleared his throat, drawing his shoulders in. “Um…if you do this…I’ll talk to Lance.” 

Shiro’s eyebrows shot sky high. “Really? You’re serious this time?” 

“Yeah. Don’t make me say it again.” 

He chuckled. “All right.” He patted Keith’s shoulder. “Goodnight, okay? I’m gonna go see if this idea is going to work. You get some sleep.” 

“Oh, right,” Keith said as they stepped up to the door. “Lance said you should leave right away, right? Good luck, then.” 

He smiled. “Thanks.” 

With any luck, this idea would work. And maybe, just maybe, Allura would finally see him.


	9. Dancing and Twinkle Lights

It hadn’t taken much convincing to get Allura to go out with him. She seemed eager actually, for what, he couldn’t figure out. So the next evening, just before sunset, they were back in the Black lion. Everything seemed back to normal, except for the awkward silence that hung in the air like a picture falling from the wall about to shatter. Shiro bit his lip and tried to think of something to say. Nothing came of it. 

Allura cleared her throat and said, “So where are we going?” 

“A...uh, you’ll see.” Lance had told him to keep this one strictly secret, for whatever reason.   
“Don’t worry though, it’ll be fun.” 

“I’m sure it will be,” she said, with what looked like a forced smile. 

The silence returned, leaving him to his thoughts. Great. This was going horrible already. But he couldn’t think of a thing to say! Everything he came up with seemed too shallow or too heavy. It wasn’t like he could burst out with, ‘hey Allura, looking great. By the way, I heard you say you’re still in love with Lotor. But it’s no big deal! Except it is.’ He mentally snacked himself on the head. There was no way to bring something like this up in casual conversation. He supposed he was just going to have to act like everything was normal. Or at least, he was going to have to try. 

So he did, for the rest of their ride. He did his best at making small talk as he landed the lion and led her out into a dense forest. 

She smiled. “It’s lovely!” 

“Oh, this isn’t it yet,” he said. Their eyes met for a second, and he looked away. Better not to look her in the eyes yet. Every time he did, his heart clenched. So Shiro looked ahead as they walked from the clearing into the trees. “We’re actually not far from a town,” he said, “so, uh...” He squinted. “Should be here somewhere.” He could swear he’d hit the right coordinates... “There.” He saw a twinkling light in the trees. 

It only took about ten minutes to reach the light, or as the case was, lights. 

Twinkling lights hung on the trees, illuminating the party before them. People danced to upbeat music playing from a DJ seated a few feet away, and snacks and a punch bowl sat on a table at the other end of the party. Far away in the distance were the lights of town, but they might as well have been a world away for all they mattered to the people here. This was a party to escape life and make your own. Shiro could taste the electric freedom in the air, feel it in every move of the dancing crowd. He was infinitely lucky Lance had gotten wind of this party online. Casually as he could, he turned to Allura. 

She was glowing. The light from the trees illuminated her dark skin, sparkles in her eyes. And her smile was so bright, he felt like he had to close his eyes before he went blind or his heart gave out. 

She turned to him and grabbed his hand, sending a shockwave through his entire body. 

“Shiro, this is wonderful!” She looked back at the party, releasing his hand. 

“I’m glad you think so,” he said. “Do you want to...get a drink?” 

She nodded. “Sure.” 

With that, she stepped forward, crossing through the crowd to the punch bowl. He followed not a second later, not wanting to lose her. When he approached the table, he found her already dipping a cup into the punch bowl. 

He frowned. Hopefully it wasn’t spiked. After taking a sip himself, he sighed in relief. It wasn’t. Thank goodness, because he wasn’t certain how well alcohol and Altean biology mixed. 

“Nice, isn’t it? Very sweet,” she said, meeting his eyes. 

And there it was. The smile that broke his heart. He looked away. 

“Shiro? Is everything all right?” 

“Fine,” he answered, too quickly. “You should go dance, you know. Have some fun.” 

“All right.” She nodded, then paused. “Are you not coming?” 

He shook his head. “No, you go. I’ll just be right here.” 

She hesitated a moment, giving him a confused look before joining the crowd. And did she ever fit in. 

Her movements matched her personality, graceful and flowing, but strong and confident. Allura was a woman you did not want to mess with, and it showed even on the dance floor. After only a few moments she was turning heads, and strangers were craning their necks to see her captivating, otherworldly dancing. Shiro, not wanting to seem creepy, stared as long as he could before turning away, his cheeks burning. Even now, when his hope was gone, she still got to him. He wasn’t sure if he should be impressed or frightened by the fact. So he stood to the side and let her enjoy her night. 

Except, as he kept stealing glances, he began to notice odd things about her. A feigned smile. Rigid movements. He frowned. Something was wrong. And despite his mind screaming at him not to, despite the fact it might hurt, he made his way through the dancers to Allura. He wasn’t about to let her be upset. 

“Hi there,” he said, and immediately regretted it. Why was he such a dork?

“Shiro!” Her face brightened in a smile, a real one. The sight made him happier than he’d ever admit. 

“Hey,” he said. “Are you all right?” 

“Of course.” She nodded. “Are you?” 

He tugged at his shirt collar. “Yeah, I’m doing fine.” He hopes she couldn’t see through the lie. “Hey, do you...” He was going to regret this, he knew, but...screw it. The music was slowing down and people were pairing up. If there was a time to ask, it was now. So he held out a hand and said, “Do you want to dance?” 

He was so afraid she wouldn’t take his hand, he almost didn’t feel it when she did. He blinked rapidly. “Really?” 

“I’d love to. Show me how the people of Earth dance.” She smiled. Shiro took a deep breath and guided her hand to his shoulder, putting one of his on her waist and clasping the other in her free hand. 

“Like this,” he said, showing her the steps. “Back, and side, and forward, and side. Not too hard.” What was hard was having her gaze fixed on him and not knowing what to do about it. But he let the thought fall away in the wake of Allura’s smile. 

So they danced. It was so simple. No words needed to be said, so they remained in silence for most of the dance. But Shiro’s mind was more awake than ever. 

How could he have thought this was a good idea? His heart was only going to break more. He could already feel it. His chest ached, and his mind felt heavy with worry. She liked him as a friend and paladin, he knew that. It was just hopeless to ask for more. Because as she gazed at him now, he thought of her looking at Lotor as she would never look at him, kissing Lotor like she would never kiss him. Deep down he knew he was being petty and jealous, but somehow he couldn’t stop feeling this way. He was allowed a little heartbreak, wasn’t he? 

His heart stopped as she leaned her head on his chest. Was it just him, or had she adjusted her height to make her shorter? Oh god, this was not good for him. How was he supposed to get over her when she kept...doing whatever she was doing? He couldn’t resist her. He’d never had that ability. Every move she made had him falling deeper in love with her. Something told him it was always going to be this way, unless something happened. 

Unless he did something about it. 

He stepped back, separating from her before he could stop himself. “Princess, I think we should go,” he said. 

Her brow furrowed, and her lips parted. “What? We just got here.”

“Please,” he said, voice beginning to shake. 

Her eyes widened and she nodded. “All right. Are you sure you’re feeling—“

“I’m fine.” He cut her off, and hated himself for doing so. 

In a moment they were back in the Black lion, and Shiro was mentally kicking himself. But there was nothing to be done about it. If he was to avoid heartbreak, this was the only way. No matter how much it hurt.

The first minute of the flight passed in complete silence, and not the peaceful kind. Shiro could have cut the tension with a knife. But he didn’t feel like he was ready to say anything to her. If he opened his mouth, he might say too much. 

“Can you land here?” Allura asked out of the blue. They were passing over a valley as the sun sunk below the horizon. An odd place to land, he thought, but who was he to deny Allura? Even now, he couldn’t say no to her. As long as he kept his heart sealed off, he’d be fine. So he swallowed and said, 

“Sure.” 

He landed the lion smoothly, settling on the side of the valley. Once they exited and stepped into the open, he could see the area was wider and much more beautiful than he’d seen from  
Black. The grassy expanse stretched for miles, with trees protecting the borders. An isolated place. He gulped. Of course he was here with Allura. 

He turned to her, prepared to ask why they were here, when she interrupted him with a fire in her eyes. “Shiro, we need to talk.” 

“Oh, um, okay—“ 

“I know you’ve been awkward with me lately. And I think I know why.”

Oh, no.

“Allura, I’m so sorry, I—“

“I think you’ve noticed how I feel, is all. I’m sorry if I made things awkward. But I’m just going to say it.”

Wait, what?

“Shiro...” She took a breath. “I’m in love with you.”


	10. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it!! The end of the fic. I hope you all have enjoyed it; it's been wonderful seeing the positive response. Thank you all so much. It brightens my day to see your wonderful comments, and it's crazy to me that so many people are reading this little fic of mine. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You all are wonderful people. Shine on, diamonds!

“What?”   
Silence stretched for long minutes until either of them spoke again. 

“Do I need to say it again—“ 

“No!” Shiro held up a hand. “I mean, uh—no, it’s fine. You’re fine.” He took a deep breath. Maybe that would calm his racing heart. 

How was this possible? He knew he’d heard her say she loved Lotor to Coran, and she was always honest with Coran. He tried to focus on their surroundings, on the darkening sky and emerging stars, all in vain. His head was swimming with thoughts, trying to figure out what this meant. He couldn’t come up with a thing. 

“I’m sorry Shiro, but it’s true. I can’t help it.” Allura shrugged. “I look at you, and I…it’s like I’m home again. Because I haven’t felt as happy as I do with you since Altea.” She sighed. “I know it’s not what you want, and I’m all right with rejection, I suppose. But please, just…know that I feel this way. I can’t, I won’t, take it back.” 

“But Lotor,” were the only words Shiro could say. 

“Lotor?” She frowned. “What about him?” 

“You love him.” 

“What?” She said, a laugh bubbling up. “I…where…how on Altea did you come up with that?” 

“It’s true, isn’t it?” He asked, running a hand through his hair. “I…overheard you say it.” 

“What? When?” 

“Last night. I accidentally overheard you talking with Coran. You were talking about Lotor.” 

Her eyes widened. 

“I heard you say you love him.” 

She blinked several times, tucking a lock of hair behind a pointed ear. “Oh,” she said. “Oh, but Shiro…” 

“What?” He asked, on the edge of his patience. His heart could only take so much. He didn’t even know what the truth was anymore. 

“I was talking about you.” 

The world stopped. “What? You…you were?” 

“Yes! When I said it…well, it went like this. Coran asked me how I was doing. We ended up talking about Lotor, and how he…” She crossed her arms. “How he broke my heart. Well, I said I was better, and I ended up talking about you. Coran asked me what I meant, and I told him I…that I love you.” By this point she was flushed, and madly fiddling with her hair. “So, um…yes. That’s what happened.” 

“But I heard…” Wait. He hadn’t heard the whole conversation. Only snippets. “Oh,” he said, putting a hand to his forehead. “Oh.” 

“Oh what?” Her brow furrowed. “Is there a problem?” 

“No!” 

“Then what? What is it?” 

It was as if his heart was a lock, and those words the key. In that moment it all came crashing to the surface of his mind, every touch, every glance, every bit of love in him he had to give for the Altean princess. It thumped like a drumbeat in his head, in his chest. Because she loved him. She loved him. 

“Allura…may I kiss y—mmph!” 

Her lips crashed against his like a tidal wave, silencing anything he could have said. She gripped his jacket like it was the end of the world. And if it was, he wouldn’t have cared. Because she was kissing him, she loved him, and her lips were just as soft as he’d imagined, and she was a fantastic kisser, and she tasted like the punch at the party but with a hint of something else that was so her, so Allura. Without thinking Shiro wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. She responded by opening her mouth and playing her tongue against his bottom lip. My god, she knew how to kiss. 

Something landed on his cheek, and it wasn’t her hand. Reluctantly he pulled back to see what it was. 

“What?” She asked. 

“Nothing. I just felt…something…” He trailed off as he looked around, Allura’s gasp mirroring his own as they took in the sight. 

Hundreds upon hundreds of fireflies flew around them, illuminating the night to a point of sheer brilliance. Some flew so high it was impossible to distinguish bugs from stars, and it felt like the sky had come down to greet them. 

“They’re like little stars…” Allura whispered, reaching out to catch one. She held it in her hand, and giggled as it moved in her palm. “Look at its little wings!” She held it out to him, and Shiro grinned at the bug’s blinking body. 

“It’s been forever since I’ve seen these,” he said, catching one in his own hands. “I forgot how beautiful they are.” He released the firefly to the air, and Allura did the same. On an impulse, Shiro stepped closer, and Allura reached out to grip his prosthetic hand in her own. They shared a quiet smile. 

“Allura, I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away like I did. It was stupid, and selfish, and frankly I wasn’t thinking clearly. Please…accept my apology?” He bit his lip, gripping her hand a little tighter. 

Her eyes softened, and her smile deepened. “Thank you, Shiro. I appreciate it. And I do. Accept it, that is.” She wrung her hands and smiled nervously. “I, ah, must confess I’m not certain what to do now. I never thought I’d get this far.” 

He shrugged and said, “Neither did I.” 

She raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?” 

He gave a soft smile. There was only one way to explain this. He leaned in and kissed her, strong, loving, and passionate. Against her lips he murmured, 

“I love you, Allura.” 

Her body tensed. For a moment, Shiro worried that he’d messed up. But she wrapped her arms around him and pressed him in close. 

God, he loved this girl. 

 

——-

The two arrived back at the Garrison an hour and several great makeouts later, finding the team waiting for them outside. Shiro waved as he and Allura made their way to the group. With no small amount of interest, he noticed Lance and Keith were holding hands. 

“Hey, guys!” Lance called. “How’d it go?” 

“Wonderfully, thank you,” Allura said. 

Shiro grinned. “Yeah, we went to that party. It was great.” 

“So? Got anything to tell us?” Pidge asked, adjusting her glasses. Shiro rolled his eyes but said, 

“Yeah, actually.” 

Allura slipped her hand into his. “We’re um…what’s the Earth word?” 

“Dating,” he supplied. 

“Dating.” 

“Yes!” Lance shouted, and the team erupted in cheers. Hunk and Pidge high fived, Coran clapped appreciatively, and Lance and Keith shared a grin. Shiro would have to talk to Keith later about what had happened there. 

The rest of the night was spent in a blur of celebration, with a speaker Pidge had grabbed, some dancing to the music, and some ice cream Keith and Lance had managed to get a hold of, which was gone in minutes. Hunk made popcorn, and unsurprisingly, Allura munched on it for the rest of the night. Shiro and Allura regaled the team with stories of their ‘dates’, which had everyone chatting about the last time they’d seen Star Wars, and lamenting that they hadn’t gotten to hear Shiro play piano. 

Eventually the sky began to lighten, and everyone headed to bed. Before they did though, Allura pulled Shiro aside for one more kiss. He smiled into it because finally, it was real. And in a few hours, once they’d both gotten some rest, they were going out again. And yes, this time…

It was a date.


End file.
